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Analysis of poem two scavengers in a truck two beautiful people in mercedes
Two scavengers in a truck, two beautiful people in a mercedes
Two scavengers in a truck, two beautiful people in a mercedes
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The two poems I am comparing are Two Scavengers in a truck, Two Beautiful people in a Mercedes', written by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, which shows the contrast between rich and poor in San Francisco, and Nothings Changed', written by Tatamkhulu Afrika. Nothing's Changed' is an autobiographical poem about a man returning to the town he grew up in as an adult, and how everything is still the same.
The tone of Two Scavengers' changes between sombre, when the poet is describing the two garbage men, and a more relaxed, happy tone when he is talking about the Beautifuls'. I think that he has done this to increase the effect of the sympathy that he feels for the two garbage men, because as they are looking at the two people in the Mercedes, they know that they are observing a world that they know they can never be a part of. This is illustrated by when the poem says "as if they were watching some odourless TV ad". The Beautifuls' seem to be happy in their own world, and seem oblivious to what is going on around them, even though it is right next to them. The overall tone of the poem, I think, is quite negative.
The tone of Nothing's Changed' is also negative, and in parts very angry. You can tell quite clearly that the poet feels very strongly about the subject of racism that he is writing about. His anger is greatly illustrated when the poem says "the hot, white, inward-turning anger of my eyes". This shows just how angry he is, because you can imagine, because this is a metaphor, the image. Because the poem is autobiographical, to me it seems to make the subject more realistic.
This does not make up for the lack of other poetic elements, and the simplicity of the writing. The differences between the two pieces is still very vass. The two pieces have two totally different objectives, which makes them have different writing styles. Claire Dederer writes “Song lyrics do a fine imitation of poetry, but they’re not quite the same thing. Lyrics are a vessel, designed to hold a singer’s voice.
Even if these poems had the same theme of the delayment of a dream, each poet’s vision towards this dream is explored differently, where readers are able to grasp both the effects and potentials of a dream deferred, through the use of imagery. Nonetheless, both poems had fulfilled the role of many distinguished poems during the period; to communicate African-Americans’ desires to live a life of equality and free from prejudice.
The tone of the poem itself seems to be one pointing out and acknowledging the things that make him Black. It’s us looking out to the east and saying thank you for making us great. He talks about the way we look and how evil the west really is. He gives thanks to the African gods which the west took from us and gave them different names.
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”
... overall themes, and the use of flashbacks. Both of the boys in these two poems reminisce on a past experience that they remember with their fathers. With both poems possessing strong sentimental tones, readers are shown how much of an impact a father can have on a child’s life. Clearly the two main characters experience very different past relationships with their fathers, but in the end they both come to realize the importance of having a father figure in their lives and how their experiences have impacted their futures.
The points of comparison these two writers share are that they were both iconic poets of their day and that they wrote in what is referred to as “black dialect.” The differences between them are their cultural and educational backgrounds.
An example of a similarity between the two poems is the optimism and liberal expression of rising against their oppressors. In Angelou’s poem, she says, “You may shoot me with your words… but still, like air, I’ll rise” (Angelou). In Hughes’s poem, he says, “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes. Nobody’ll dare say to me, ‘Eat in the kitchen,’ then”
Indeed, the satirical tone of this poem suggests that the speaker is somewhat critical of his father. The whiskey smell, the roughness, the inconsiderate and reckless actions are under scrutiny. The mother's frowning countenance suggests she too is rather unhappy with the scene. However, the winning tone of the poem is the light and comical one.
Someone reading these poems might quickly jump to the conclusion that since they both use death as their theme, they are the same. However, after closer examination, they will find that the theme is actually one of the few things these two poems have in common. Robinson and Frost took one Webster’s definition, went beyond the literary meaning, and ended up with two totally different but appealing masterpieces. They are textbook examples every writer should follow when trying to approach a theme.
Both authors use figurative language to help develop sensory details. In the poem It states, “And I sunned it with my smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles.” As the author explains how the character is feeling, the reader can create a specific image in there head based on the details that is given throughout the poem. Specifically this piece of evidence shows the narrator growing more angry and having more rage. In the short story ” it states, “We are below the river's bed. The drops of moisture trickle among bones.” From this piece of text evidence the reader can sense the cold dark emotion that is trying to be formed. Also this excerpt shows the conflict that is about to become and the revenge that is about to take place. By the story and the poem using sensory details, they both share many comparisons.
When considering the structure of the poems, they are similar in that they are both written loosely in iambic pentameter. Also, they both have a notable structured rhyme scheme.
... different authors from two different ways of life could write poems in different styles about the same topics. Hughes with his blues infused poems and Cullen's with his "Negro spirit and Christian upbringing" (Ferguson), both of these men inspired hundreds of people and their work can still make an impact on those that read it. It sure did for me. I recommend these poems to anyone, and I hope that everyone can enjoy and appreciate them as much as I have.
... not even once does it talk about blacks or racial prejudice. In other words, the poem itself is wearing a mask. On the other end, it unambiguously exhibits Dunbar's emotions as a frustrated black man. In other words, it removes all facade and deception. The mask is gone. What is then left is a poem that obscures everything and reveals everything at the same time. However, if the reader views the narrator as a kind of universal voice, rather than a specific man, then the paradox does not hold. In the final instance, the overall language could relate to anyone of any race who veils his or her emotions in order to move on in the world. Generally, with that message being defined, the notion alone would not be possible, without the sounds and visual imagery that is strongly impacted throughout this piece.
These poems are different in their forms. Roethke, in his poem “My Papa’s Waltz” uses a closed form with a distinct pattern and a rhyme scheme. This poem follows an ABAB rhyme scheme. On the other hand, Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays” is written in open form. It does not follow any rhyme scheme. The poets use different tones for the poems. In case of “My Papa’s Waltz”, the poet uses a tone full of excitement and joy as he describes the way he danced with his father, while in “Those Winter Sundays”, the poet uses a tone of melancholy when he describes the way his father did little things which no one noticed. The imagery used in the first poem is also different from that used in the second one. “My Papa’s Waltz”, uses imagery like “romping”, “waltzing” which reveals his excitement. On the other hand, in Hayden’s poem, there is no such warmth in the human
Both poems where written in the Anglo-Saxton era in Old English and later translated into English. As well as both poems being written in the same time period, they are both elegiac poems, meaning they are poignant and mournful.